edinburgher

losing much of that day trip travelling both directions. If your preference is for "laid back in Italy" consider either the Lake Como area or the Lake Garda area. Both beautiful and laid back to an extent and instead of a cruise ship you explore using small passenger ferries which call into pretty waterfront villages. Of the two we slightly preferred Lake Garda, in part as we liked pretty Verona (think Romeo and Juliet) more than we liked Milan which is probably our least favourite city.

There have been a number of past threads for both Warnemunde and Rostock and you might want to browse a few for ideas or suggestions. Warnemunde https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=warnemunde&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=116 Rostock https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=rostock&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=116 Very little for Wisman, possibly because most passengers will choose only two locations for a port day and Schwerin/Warnemunde is another popular option. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=wismar&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=116 We have hardly a half dozen words of german between us and managed perfectly well as we did our research before we left home. (You will arrive at Rostock train station on an upper level, you need to go down to street level for the tram) We bought day tickets for our Rostock/Warnemunde day as we usually do, as we find these easier than trying to figure out tickets for each stage of a journey and having the correct fare for each when we do not speak whatever the local language is, and if you decide on only Rostock and Warnemunde, you will need two train tickets, one each way, and two tram tickets in Rostock, again one each way, so the day ticket is the easiest option. We did not see a ticket office as such in Warnemunde, buying them from from the ticket lady who was sitting at a desk inside Warnemunde train station which is next to where your ship will dock.

A small PS to that post as I should have added ICELAND to it, and that is a shame as Iceland has many unique natural sites/sights found nowhere else in the world which you would miss unless you choose to go for these experiences but avoid the huge waterfalls of Godafoss and Gullfoss.

No tour is actually needed as historic Tallinn is quite small and easily walked from the dock. And any tour you would book with a guide is likely to be a walking tour. There will be "self guided walking tours of Tallinn" found on the internet.(note spelling) Past threads, some of which you could browse. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=tallinn&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=116

Have you ever considered a land trip to Greece or Turkey? (or cruises with a particular focus on these two countries) Both would offer you as much early Christian and Byzantine history as you can handle. For a land trip, you could start with a minimum of a week in Istanbul alone, but the more you look into Turkey the more you will find. And Greece too of course.

That disinterest means you need to exclude many European cities and towns and it will be easier to miss some countries than others. And sadly you will miss one of the most beautiful itineraries in the world, the Norwegian Fjords. We have visited at least 7 or 8 Croatian ports over the years, both on the mainland and on islands and would recommend you try to find an itinerary which has more islands on it , such as a "Croatia Intensive" although Zadar, Split and Dubrovnik are a decent starting point. Biggest issue with Dubrovnik is not its locations for GOT scenes, it is crowds. Usually very very busy Local authorities are reducing the number of cruise ship calls but it is also busy with visitors on land trips and coach tours.

Thanks butIi don't think I gave any helpful info. I could have done but the initial question was a bit too vague. If they have only one day, does that mean they are cruising because there are many many past threads your friends could dip into for info and ideas. They could choose which to read from these. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=istanbul&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=149

Another of our favourites in Paris, and should you be there when the sun is shining it is even more magical.😀

As trams do not run to all parts of the city, depending on where she is wanting to go, she may well need a taxi. Where will she be wanting to get to and is it definitely Sultanahmet she wants the journey to begin? And will it be from a hotel or from a particular sight? Is she travelling to one of the airports?

There are many "main attractions" in this huge city, but if you mean in the Sultanahmet dstrict, then there should be. But if you do not already know, driving in Istanbul can be a nightmare as it is notorious for gridlocked and very slow traffic, and usually best avoided andit is much faster is to use the trams as they have their own tracks. You would also be wise to read about some of the tricks Istanbul taxi drivers can use to increase the cost of your ride. Where is it you would need to travel to and/or from that you might need a taxi? By replying, you should get some helpful suggestions.

You may have confused two male names. It was "Toms Port Guides but they disappeared a couple or so years ago. Many Americans use RICK STEVES guides.

Sorry about that, but better to know ahead of time than only at the last minute when you may have try to push your way into the room. Once you have read exhibits info on the Louvre website and read reviews on Tripadvisor and watched YouTube, if there are only going to be a couple of exhibits of interest to you, you may decide that it would be be better to choose a different museum which may have more exhibits which you would like and which would make better use of your short time in Paris.😉 The Louvre with or without advance tickets and depending on where your ideal exhibits are located could easy take an entire morning or afternoon of your time. Sadly "overtourism" is becoming more and more of an issue in Europe but even more sadly, many of those contributing to crowding are not really interested in an in-depth visit, really only wanting a quick selfie with whatever the exhibit or site is before quickly exiting to move on to their next selfie location.

Frommer's can be a good source of self guided walking tours although in recent years we have noticed that there are fewer than there used to be. We delete the unneccessary sections(for us ones such as "take a break in X cafe or have lunch in Y restaurant" in part as the timings may be totally wrong) then print off. And borrowed from the library guide books can also be good. We scan and print off walking tours and sometimes city/town maps which interest us as the ship port maps are very basic and not really that good..

And weather too. Hurricanes and damage have already been mentioned, but early in the season, calls to Greenland may indeed have too much ice as it has not yet melted. That happened early this current season (was that when you missed your calls?) but according to very recent posts, it has now melted and ships are again gaining entry If you think ocean cruises are bad, please don't ever book a river cruise!!!😁

I had posted about it quite a long time ago. We discovered it quite by chance as we are mostly independent when ashore and often google for "self guided walking tours of XYZ" as we are big fans of these as they usually come with maps and descriptions making them easy to follow,and on that occasion I had searched for "self guided etc" for Muscat Oman and it popped up in the results. Having never heard of it until then,looked into it and were pleased with what we found, but we don't use it exclusively as we can still find other walking tours depending on where we will be and we compare and follow whichever we think best for us for that particular location.

and hotel booking websites often have reviews written by recent guests.

I hope you won't be disappointed because the room in which the Mona Lisa is to be found is usually totally crowded and the actual picture is smaller than you might expect which only adds to the frustration. Can I suggest you google something like "crowds trying to view the Mona Lisa" or similar to find images of what you might experience. There are also short videos on YouTube. Not wanting to detract from your ideal image of the experience, (this is really a warning) but thinking it is better if you mentally prepare ahead of time for the reality of what this experience could potentially be, rather than turn up on the day only to be hugely disappointed.

Your photos brought back good memories so thanks for posting. We rested in the Rodin gardens for a time as it was super hot that day and we were tired. They are a peaceful and relaxing spot.

Note that it is generally acknowledged that airports (and cruise ships) usually give the worst exchange rates.

It appears that you will stop on the main road above town for a photo op then proceed into the town itself for some free time to self explore. The amount of time isn't specified but you will at least be in the town, which is what you wanted. You said I liked this one too but wasn't sure what will happen if their "minimum of 6 ppl have to sign up" requirement hasn't met on that day You should contact them and ask. You should also ask if your 9 year old child is required to have a car seat or restraint suitable for her height and/or weight (required by Italian law) and if so, can they provide this on the day. Have you looked for a Roll Call for your sailing? Roll calls are where you would try to find others on your sailing to join you on a tour, also where you might find others looking for people like yourself to join a tour they have arranged.

Definitely inflaion then, however it appears it all worked out in the end for you, by luck I think more than anything. How disappointing that there was no active Roll Call for your sector as that is usually a good way to find others to share taxi rides or private tours. Better luck next time!

We had hoped to buy prints or posters which could be framed once home, but had to settle for the black and white postcards instead, although all separately mounted in one frame they still look lovely (at least in our eyes😉)

The OP will be aware of that, and from the multiple threads posted appears to be for now weighing up the pros and cons for the different sightseeing options for this one day stop to help her(?) make a decision. The adult #1 preference was to visit Positano itself, not just to take a photo from the main road above and is looking for a way to visit in person which would be allowable and now thinks that Royal Caribbean coaches would be the exception to local laws.. The local public buses would not be advised when on a ship but would be on a land trip. The only other option would be a small group private tour, but given how busy that stretch of road is even in early October, and to get back to the ship on time,that would mean spending the majority of the day in a van. I would also suggest that the OP use some of the extra days at the start to stay in a hotel in the Naples/Sorrento/Amalfi area and explore more of it with the extra days, rather than stay in Rome. Rome to Naples used to be an easy enough transfer but whether it still is I do not know. Info should be found online.

For anyone who has already visited some of the top sites in Istanbul, or for those staying longer than one or two days, Dolmabahce Palace could very well be be worth visiting. It holds the largest chandelier in the world (and quite beautiful it is too) and has the largest collection of Bacarrat chandeliers in the world. Info, images and reviews easily found online.Super easy to visit from Galataport either on foot or by tram to the terminus at Kabatas followed by a maximum 5 minute walk on flat ground, I think possibly less than that). We enjoyed our visit there and also visited BEYLERBEYI PALACE. Again, images, info and reviews can be found online. This one is trickier to visit as it is on the Asian side which means a short ferry crossing to Uskudar followed by a local bus to get there. The buses are next to the ferry pier at Uskudar making a simple transfer.

Most likely ...yes. My understanding is that tour coaches/buses are not allowed into Positano, but the rules may be different for small minibuses. Llocal laws for entering and parking in Positano would need to be studied. Is there a particular reason why you cannot use a ferry? Some past threads for Positano https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=positano&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=464